Comment period for MRP extended

April 16, 2013

Public Comment Period for the Merced River Plan Extended through April 30, 2013
Yosemite National Park announces the extension of the public comment period for the Merced Wild and Scenic River Draft Comprehensive Management and Environmental Impact Statement (MRP) through Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Previously, the public comment period was slated to close on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

“The MRP is an expansive document which guides park management actions for many years. We want to make sure the public has a thorough opportunity to review the draft plan and submit comments,” stated Kathleen Morse, Yosemite National Park’s Chief of Planning.

This extension adds twelve days to the one hundred day the public comment period. The document was released for public review and comment on January 8, 2013. So far, the park has received about 25,000 comments.

For a copy of the plan and a complete description of all alternatives, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mrp.htm.

Comments on the MRP can be made through the, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/mrp_deis. Comments made through the PEPC website are the preferred method of submission. However, comments can also be sent via email to yose_planning@nps.gov or via U.S. mail to:

Superintendent
Yosemite National Park
Attn: Merced River Plan
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

Based on a Settlement Agreement the park reached with the plaintiffs in September 2009, the MRP is mandated to be completed by the end of July 2013. The extension of the comment period will allow for park staff to collect and analyze all public comments which will become a part of the Final Merced River Plan.

Helpful MRP Review Tips
An overview of the Merced River draft Plan can be found online: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mrp-deis.htm

To assist you in your review of the draft plan, consider starting with the following sections:

Goals of the Merced River Plan (Chapter 1: page 1-3)
Merced River Plan / DEIS Document Organization (Chapter 1: page 1-4)
Identification of Planning Issues: Public and Internal Scoping (Chapter 2: pages 2-13 to 2-18)
Part III User Capacity Discussion (Chapter 6: pages 6-12 to 6-43)
Alternatives (Chapter 8)
- Process Used to Develop the Alternatives (Chapter 8: pages 8-1 to 8-7)
- Actions Common to Alternatives 2-6 (Chapter 8: pages 8-53 to 8-102)
- Alternative 1 (No Action) Overview (Chapter 8: pages 8-13 to 8-28)
- Alternative 2 Overview (Chapter 8: pages 8-103 to 8-118)
- Alternative 3 Overview (Chapter 8: pages 8-145 to 8-160)
- Alternative 4 Overview (Chapter 8: pages 8-187 to 8-203)
- Alternative 5 (Preferred) Overview (Chapter 8: pages 8-231 to 8-246)
- Alternative 6 Overview (Chapter 8: pages 8-273 to 8-288)

There is also a 20-page Summary Guide: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/upload/mrp-deis-sum-guide-optimize-web.pdf along with a 2-page summary matrix: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/upload/mrp-deis-sum-matrix-web.pdf.